Instagram account goodmorningucla spreads humor, positivity across UCLA community
Charlie Kratus poses at Dickson Plaza. Kratus’ videos often begin with this open-armed pose and the words “good morning UCLA,” before getting to the video’s topic of the day. (Leydi Cris Cobo Cordon/Daily Bruin senior staff)
By Amelie Ionescu
May 29, 2024 9:30 p.m.
This post was updated May 29 at 10:16 p.m.
Good morning, UCLA!
These three words have become synonymous with Charlie Kratus, a first-year business economics student.
Often accompanied by Kratus’ wide-open arms, a bright smile and fellow UCLA students, the phrase introduces every video on the @goodmorningucla Instagram page. The account, which began in October 2023 with videos sharing Westwood’s weather and a joke – or as he calls it, “yoke” – of the day at the end, has evolved to include many aspects of campus life, Kratus said.
View this post on Instagram
He added that the origin of the phrase dates back to giving announcements throughout his middle and high school career.
“I’ve been telling the ‘yoke’ of the day since sixth grade,” Kratus said. “I used to say ‘Good morning, De La Salle High School!’ so I definitely had experience with it. … It’s just a good hobby. I get to meet so many great people, so I love it.”
From humble beginnings of only a few hundred followers, the page now has over 8,400 followers and is on track to surpass 10,000 by the end of the year, Kratus said. Part of that earlier growth can be attributed to @barstoolwestwood, a fellow UCLA-oriented Instagram account with over 13 thousand followers, reposting the page’s content when Kratus first began, he said.
Jack Knowles, a first-year cognitive science student who lives in the same dorm as Kratus, makes semi-consistent appearances on @goodmorningucla’s page. From the account’s mission in catering to the student body and trying to help uplift Bruins to his own work behind the scenes and in front of the camera, Knowles said @goodmorningucla brings positivity to campus.
Knowles’ favorite videos, he added, are those focused on giving back to the unhoused community by providing them with food and other necessities including sanitary kits fundraised and sourced by Kratus. Knowles said going to Westwood to do so was fulfilling.
“It was an extraordinarily rewarding experience,” Knowles said. “It’s not as clear cut as you might think. There are a lot of intricacies to it and I think Charlie did a great job of handling that.”
With lots of organizations reaching out to be featured on his account, Kratus said he attempts to highlight important topics on campus. He added that he plans to raise money for mental health awareness.
“Because I just do it for fun, it’s like, ‘How can I keep having fun with it?’,” Kratus said. “My ultimate goal is to continue to be a positive figure at UCLA and put a smile on people’s face.”
Using the framework of ‘PEP’ – positivity, engagement and philanthropy – Kratus has highlighted several clubs and organizations including the Armenian Students’ Association, Bruin Ventures – a venture capital and technology club at UCLA – and UCLA softball. Keeping the community up to date with campus activities is something Kratus strives for with his account, he said.
View this post on Instagram
With over 40 videos queued and a new one coming out almost every day, Kratus and @goodmorningucla have plenty to offer the student body. But even then, Kratus added that he is not slowing down, wanting to highlight as much as he can about UCLA’s offerings in his time running the page.
“It’s important to highlight all these different clubs because they might not have the voice. … There’s a million different places at UCLA,” Kratus said. “California, and college students in particular, have really low mental health. And so I think that being involved and having a community can be really helpful.”
Julian Stassi, Kratus’ roommate and a first-year economics student, said that Kratus embodies the same values both in front of and behind the camera.
“He’s actually very similar to how he is on the videos,” Stassi said. “His goal is to uplift everyone and spread positivity, and that’s exactly what he does off camera.”
View this post on Instagram
Stassi – who helps film but has not been featured – said he enjoys the more comedic videos, such as the two sick day videos Kratus filmed from his bed announcing the weather and cracking jokes about his trip walking down Bruin Walk to get medication from the Arthur Ashe Student Health and Wellness Center.
“I know myself and a lot of other people sometimes joke with him about how they don’t know the weather on certain days because he isn’t talking about it anymore,” Stassi said. “Now he’s done so many videos with so many clubs that I didn’t even know existed – that so many people didn’t know existed. He’s gone out and given food to the homeless, spread so much positivity and laughs.”
